The Women’s Research and Resource Center at CSUN is the oldest women’s center in the Cal State system. With almost 50 years under our belt, we are constantly working to create programs and services that best meet the needs of our students. Our mission is to enhance campus and community understanding of gender issues and concerns. That said, all of our services and resources are open to all students, regardless of gender identity.
According to a January 2018 Study of Student Basic Needs published by the California State University Basic Needs Initiative, 41.6% of CSU students reported food insecurity. Of those, 20% report experiencing low food security and 21.6% report very low food security. The national average for households experiencing food insecurity in the U.S. is 10.2%, suggesting that college students are a growing population of food insecure people. CSUN has almost 40,000 students enrolled, so the need is great. In Fall 2016, the WRRC launched our Food and Toiletry Pantry. In the first 3 months of our pantry opening, we had 103 visits. Now, we serve approximately 50 unique people per week. The demand is growing, and as a donations-based pantry, we are compelled to seek out new community partnerships to maintain access and inventory for our students. We have been lucky to forge relationships with organizations like SOVA (non-perishable food), The Pad Project (small grant for menstrual care products only) and Student Lunch Box (perishable produce), where many of our needs are met. However, we have found that if a student requires access to food, they also require access to hygiene products. Students constantly request items like toilet paper, deodorant, and toothpaste. The WRRC uses donor support for these items and more.
We hope that by alleviating the stress associated with food (basic needs) insecurity, students can concentrate on their academics and achieve what they came to college to do!
